Story+2002-12-16+Columbus,+OH

´´Good evening, Columbus….we’re, uh, sorry we missed you first time out, hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much….we had a one-eyed sax player for about a week or two…. thank you….I need a little bit of quiet for these next few songs, please, thank you….”
 * 16.12.02 Columbus, OH, intro to ‘Empty Sky´**

´´Are you ready….are you ready….are you ready….are you ready…..are you ready….are you ready for a house party ? (cheers) well, if you´re gonna have a house party, first, the music has got to be righteous, that´s right.....oh, yes….and second, you've got to rise up off your ass now (?) that´s right, you got to rise up off your ass….come on up for the ass-rising… that´s right, right now, please….oh yeah and then I want to introduce you to the greatest little houseband in all the land, to the far left of the stage, the peripatetic pathological piano-pounding ´Professor´ Roy Bittan.…on the violin and vocals, out of New York City, ´Sister´ Soozie Tyrell....then we got on the guitar, a man who’s glad tonight to be anywhere near Steubenville, Ohio, Dean Martin’s birthplace, Silvio, Silvio…..Little Steven on the guitar.... are we near Steubenville ? ....and on the bass guitar, we got the Tennesee Terror, Mr.Garry W.Tallent....on the drums, we got the man that brings the power hour after hour, the thunder way up from down under, night after night after night, I wanna tell you ‘bout the mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty star of Late Night (crowd: ‘Television) ´Mighty´ Max Weinberg on the drums....on the guitar, we got singer-songwriter, Secretary of heart and spirit, one of the greatest guitarists in rock and roll, the great Nils Lofgren ....on the organ and accordion, ´Brother´ Dan Federici..…to the far side of the stage, we got the First Lady of Love, on guitar and vocals and my personal savior, Miss Patti Scialfa....oh, rescue me, take me in your arms, rescue me, babe, with all your charms, ´cause I´m lonely and I´m blue and I need you and your love too, come on and rescue me….save me, baby...and last but not least....last but not least…..Minister of soul....emperor of Ohio and all adjacent territories....I know, ladies and gentlemen, you wish you could be like him but, I’m sorry, you can´t ´cause there´s only one Clarence ´Big Man´ Clemons....rumble, young man, rumble, that’s right....alright….they´re all here tonight....alright….”
 * 16.12.02 Columbus, OH, middle of ´Mary’s Place´**

´´Thank you….I wanna thank everybody for coming out to the show tonight, thank you so much….appreciate your support and all our fans here in the Ohio area….we got some friends with us in the building tonight, folks from The Mid-Ohio Foodbank….Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s dedicated to building a community that makes food accessible to all people…they have 5,000 volunteers and they serve 20 Ohio counties…42 percent of the people they serve are under age 18, they can use your help and your support, they´re The Mid-Ohio Foodbank, good folks out there on the frontlines, doing a good work, please check them out, (?) not just pass them in the hall tonight, thank you…..this is for them…..”
 * 16.12.02 Columbus, OH, intro to ´My City of Ruins´**

´´Thank you….wrote this, uh….song 20 years ago about the Vietnam War, I wanna play it tonight….as a prayer for peace….”
 * 16.12.02 Columbus, OH, intro to ´Born in the U.S.A´**

´´Alright, Columbus….we all wish you a happy holiday….merry Christmas….happy Hanuka ….this is for everybody who’s out past their bedtime now, it’s a school night too (?) it is, I think….”
 * 16.12.02 Columbus, OH, middle of ´Santa Claus Is Coming to Town´**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//